“Finally, I’ve been waiting for you for two months, now I can be heard”: thus the Italian-Belgian MEP Marc Tarabellanow in custody in Brussels as part of the Qatargate, this morning received the police officers at his home in Anthisnes, in the province of Liège, from where he was taken to be interrogated by the investigating judge, Michel Claise.
Tarabella, explains the Belgian newspaper The eveningwas taken this morning from his home – he is mayor of Anthisnes, a municipality in the province of Liège, in Wallonia – and taken to Brussels for questioning.
According to the statements made in the minutes by Pier Antonio Panzeri, the Belgian politician, of Italian origin, would have received between 120 and 140 thousand euros to soften his positions regarding Qatar, an accusation that Tarabella has denied. His parliamentary immunity was waived by the plenary together with that of Andrea Cozzolino, the Belgian MEP himself asked for it to be waived and voted to do so in the plenary. He had already been expelled from the S&D group in the European Parliament and is asking to be heard by the judge since last December.
Qatargate, immunity to Cozzolino and Tarabella removed. Now they risk arrest
As part of the investigation, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office conducted several “searches” in Belgium. In particular, a safety deposit box of a bank located in Liège, belonging to Tarabella, was checked. Some offices of the town hall of Anthisnes were also searched. The investigating judge will decide whether the MEP should appear at the hearing for a possible confirmation of the arrest.
Cozzolino’s office was also seized
Even the office of the MEP of the Pd Andrew Cozzolino, as well as that of Marc Tarabella, is now under seizure. For weeks the Neapolitan politician has ended up at the center of the investigation. On 2 February, the European Parliament had decided to waive the immunity of both. The investigators hypothesize their involvement in the plot of corruption organized by the now repentant former MEP Antonio Panzeriwhich also brought the assistant to prison Francesco Giorgiand the former Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili.
source: breakinglatest